Railway-tie.



L. BLESSING.

RAILWAY TIE.

APPLICATION I' ILED SEPT. 10, 1913.

Patented Apr.28, 1914.

Zozzz'sEZssz'ng:

LOUIS BLESSING, 0F JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

RAILWAY-TIE.

Specification ofiLetters Patent.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

Application filed September 10, 1913. Serial No. 789,032.

1 b all to]: 0m it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Louis BLESSING, a citizen of the United Statesof America. residing at Jackson. in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Ties. of which the following a specification. reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

In the construction of railway ties of concrete or other cementitious material in which reinforcing members are used it is desirable that the latter be readily formed on the ground where the ties are molded and be such that ordinary mill-shape material is available for their manufacture.

This invention relates to reinforced ties of cementitious material in which the tensile members are formed of stock material that is readily bent to shape at the place where the tie is manufactured, are alike in shape so that one bending forms them all and are so arranged that they may be disposed to give the maximum strengthening effect at the points where necessary in the tie.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in perspective, partially broken away and partially in shadow drawing, of a tie that embodies features of the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a tie showing alternative methods of anchoring rails; Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of a tie; Fig. 4-v is a view in section taken on or about line IV--IV of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a view in section taken on or about line VV of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged View in detail of the preferred actual form of the reinforcing bar.

As herein shown, a railway tie 1 of standard dimensions is molded of concrete or like cementit-ious material with means near each end at track gage distance apartv for holding rail anchoring means. Such provision may consist of a transverse tube 2 embedded in the body of the tie beneath a plate 3 of suit-able material, such as fiber, metal or the like. that forms a rail seat such plate being ribbed or flanged or otherwise fitted to retain. its position. Or as indicated on section line V-V a transverse tube or bar 4 may be so embedded. in the body of the tie as to span a recess indicated at 5 in the tie face into which suitable holding members may be dropped and hooked around the bar. In the latter construction.

a rail chair plate that is suitably slotted rests on the face of the tie.

A set of longitudinally disposed reinforcing bars are embedded in the molded body in substantially parallel and spaced relation with straight portions 8 near the upper surface of a central portion of the tie and cambered off-sets 9 near one end of the tie lying beneath the adjacent transverse holding member. A second set of reinforcing members similar to the first are arranged in reverse and alternate relation thereto with the straight portions 10 near the upper surface of the middle portion of the tie and the depressed cambered off-set portions 11 beneath the other anchoring member. The ends of the otherwise straight portions 8 and 10 may be slightly downbent although this is not necessary. The straight portions 8 and 10 of the overlapping series do not necessarily extend. beyond the middle portion of the tie but one or more full length reinforcing members with straight portions 12 reaching to the tie ends may be added if desired. Thus the principal shearing strain under the bending load at the rail seats which comes at the center of the tie, is transmitted to the straight portions 8, 10 and 12 of the reinforcement while the cambered portions 9 and 11 take care of any local bending strains directly beneath the rail at the base of the tie. As a further reinforcement to avoid local fracture above the rail anchoring members, a set of reinforcing bars that are similar to those having the full length parts 12, are disposed in the tie in reverse position to the main set of reinforcements, the straight portions 18 thereof lying near the base of the tie beneath the anchoring means while the cambered off-set portions 14 are symmetrically disposed above the transverse anchoring means.

While shown in Fig. 1 for purposes of clear illustration as being square in section, the reinforcements are preferably square twisted bars as indicated in detail in Fig. 6 although they may be of other forms if desired.

Because of the symmetrical arrangement of the reinforcing members and their similarity in form, no special tools are required to bend the stock bars to the desired shape and consequently straight mill stock in appropriate lengths may be shipped to the places Where the ties are being molded, bent form or arrangement of parts.

What I claim is 1. A reinforced track tie of cementitious material, sets of reinforcing members oppositely disposed in alternate relation, the

members each consisting of a bar having a straight portion and a cambered off-set portion, the straight portlons of the bars being disposed in the portion of the tie encountering the greatest bending moment, and a 1 number of the cambered portions being disposed beneath the rail seats of the tie, the off-set portions of the other member being in a reversed position.

2. A track tie comprising a body of cementitious material, reinforcing members each consisting of a straight portion and a cambered off-set portion disposed in parallel spaced relation with the straight portions near the upper face of the middle portion of the tie, reinforcing members having similar straight portions in parallel alternate spaced relation to the first members, oppositely disposed similarly formed cambered off-sets, and reinforcing members having straight portions extending for the maj or portion of the length of the tie and cambered off-set portions corresponding to the off-sets of the other pieces.

8. A reinforcing railway tie having a body of cementitious material and a plurality of reinforcing members embedded therein each consisting of a bar having a straight portion and a portion with a cambered off-set, the bars being disposed symmetrically ranged sets and some of the bars having cambered portions in reverse relation to the others, the bars being square in cross section and twisted.

In testimony whereof I affix my signa ture in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS BLESSING.

Witnesses J. H. E. BROWN, MILTON J. DRAPER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Fatents,

Washington, D. C.

in alternating oppositely ar n- 

